You see your colleague on Monday morning and ask her about her weekend.

What did you get up to at the weekend?	You meet a woman at a party. You think you met last year but you're not sure, so you say…

We met last year, didn't we?	Your colleague tells you he went to Macau at the weekend. You express interest and ask a follow up question.

Did you? Did you win any money?	You’re out shopping for a new lap top. You want to know about the battery life.

What is the battery life like?	
You're out shopping for a camcorder. The shop assistant  tells you it has 3 CCDs but you don't know what CCD means.

Could you tell me what CCDs are?	You're negotiating in a shop for a mobile phone
You want two – one for you, one for your daughter.
Of course, you want a good discount for buying two.

If you give me a good discount, I'll buy two 	You're not feeling well. You can't breathe through your nose and you have a really bad headache.

My nose is blocked up and I've got a splitting headache.	You're explaining a problem with your photocopier.

[no / print / double-sided copies]

It won't print double-sided copies.	
You're warning a friend not to drink the water from the tap. (It comes from the river.)

Whatever you do, don't drink the tap water.	You're advising a friend to see a doctor.

If I were you I'd see a doctor.	You're warning a friend not to touch the photocopier until it's been fixed.

You'd better not touch it until it's been fixed	You've just seen a very interesting documentary about life on Mars.  You tell your friend:

It was absolutely fascinating!	
You're telling a friend how you angry you were when you were overcharged for a terrible meal in a restaurant.

I was absolutely furious!	You're explaining to a visitor that the tram is convenient when you have to travel short distances on Hong Kong island.

It's handy for travelling short distances.	You're asking a friend who's been living in Paris about the bars, clubs and restaurants there.

What's the nightlife like?	You're thinking of going to Italy for a holiday. You're asking an Italian about transport within Italy.

What's it like to get around?	
You are sitting on a plane and need to fill in the immigration card. Ask the stranger next to you if you can borrow their pen.

Do you think I could borrow your pen?	You're getting off the plane and you've got a heavy suitcase that you can't lift down from the overhead locker. Ask the person next to you to help.

I don't suppose you could give me a hand with this, could you?	You are a receptionist. You ask a visitor to sign the visitor's book.

Would you mind signing the book please?	You are a manager. One of your staff thinks she may need to take some time off next month. You'd like to know the dates as soon as possible.

I'd appreciate it if you could let me know the dates as soon as possible.